In the United States, yesterday was Mother’s Day. A day where we celebrate the women who have raised us through gifts, hugs, and a promise to not have to cook together.
As the dayprogressed and I read through my Facebook feed (like you do), I noticed there were soooooo many people who have truly complicated relationships with the mother figure in their lives. Whether she is toxic, overbearing, not around, not alive, not enough, these relations are overwrought with potential angst. A hotbed of poetry fodder.
Write about a maternal relationship of sorts. Be creative and dig deep. Remember, we’re potentially looking at these poems submitted for the anthology. What is this, you ask? Learn more about it here. Be sure to backlink your posts or share your link in the comments below.
Every month I interview an indie author for my PenPaperPad Talks Books segment on my YouTube channel. This week, I interviewed Laura A. Lord, one of our esteemed editors. We discuss her poetry, self-esteem, and The Reverie Journal and our submissions.
One thing we didn’t mention in this interview that we’ve been talking about recently is the possibility of accepting spoken word pieces for our “Write for Us” and our Anthology submissions. With each year, we’d like to stretch ourselves. Push ourselves into trying something new. That’s the new addition to our 2016 submission process. We haven’t finalized the exact type of files that will work best for us, but when we do, we’ll update the submission page according.
Here we are in all of our awkward glory. If you have any questions or comments, definitely leave them down in the comments. I’ll meet you there!
*Next week, things will be to our normal schedule. Thanks for your patience.*
Sometimes a piece of music touches us and inspires us in amazing ways, and while sometimes we let you find your own music to inspire you, today I have chosen a piece for you.
Lukas Graham’s song, 7 Years, travels through one man’s life and through an unknown future. I love the way he marks the passage of time with certain ages and specific things that were said to him at that age:
Once I was eleven years old my daddy told me
Go get yourself a wife or you’ll be lonely
Once I was eleven years old
I will post the lyrics and video below for those that haven’t heard the song yet. I want you to let this inspire you. Think to a specific age, to your thoughts and hopes and aspirations as that age, to the advice given you then. Write about it.
Remember you have until Friday to submit your entry by either leaving it in the comment section below or linking back to this post. All entries will be considered for the second edition of the anthology.
Anthology submissions are open. Please submit here.
Write for Us submissions are also open. You can submit here for that.
7 Years by Lukas Graham
Once I was seven years old my momma told me Go make yourself some friends or you’ll be lonely Once I was seven years old
It was a big big world, but we thought we were bigger Pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker By eleven smoking herb and drinking burning liquor Never rich so we were out to make that steady figure
Once I was eleven years old my daddy told me Go get yourself a wife or you’ll be lonely Once I was eleven years old
I always had that dream like my daddy before me So I started writing songs, I started writing stories Something about that glory just always seemed to bore me ‘Cause only those I really love will ever really know me
Once I was 20 years old, my story got told Before the morning sun, when life was lonely Once I was 20 years old
I only see my goals, I don’t believe in failure ‘Cause I know the smallest voices, they can make it major I got my boys with me at least those in favor And if we don’t meet before I leave, I hope I’ll see you later
Once I was 20 years old, my story got told I was writing about everything, I saw before me Once I was 20 years old Soon we’ll be 30 years old, our songs have been sold We’ve traveled around the world and we’re still roaming Soon we’ll be 30 years old
I’m still learning about life My woman brought children for me So I can sing them all my songs And I can tell them stories Most of my boys are with me Some are still out seeking glory And some I had to leave behind My brother I’m still sorry
Soon I’ll be 60 years old, my daddy got 61 Remember life and then your life becomes a better one I made a man so happy when I wrote a letter once I hope my children come and visit, once or twice a month
Soon I’ll be 60 years old, will I think the world is cold Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me Soon I’ll be 60 years old Soon I’ll be 60 years old, will I think the world is cold Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me Soon I’ll be 60 years old
Once I was seven years old, momma told me Go make yourself some friends or you’ll be lonely Once I was seven years old
The key to getting published is at once simple and painful…You have to put yourself out there. Keep submitting your work and sharing it with the world. Remember that you can always submit to our Write for Us segment and that our magazine submissions are now open for the year.
Big Pulp “defines pulp-fiction very broadly: it’s lively, challenging, thought-provoking, thrilling, and fun…” They are looking more for character and story elements than genre specific themes.
Bring me a sunset in a cup
Sprinkle in drops of rain
Watch as afternoon beauty
Is mixed with the world’s pain
Bring me the starry skin onto a plate
Mix in the dreams that lay awake
See as wishes fall to the floor
As the world gives up – the stars shine no more
Bring me daylight locked in a jar
Add in shadows that roam the night
Witness as hope stirs with fear
Welcome to the parallels of life my dear
Sonya is a believer. She believes in love even if she hasn’t quite found it yet. She hopes her writing can inspire others to believe in it too, as well as believing in themselves. She steals lunch breaks and midnights to write on the side of her full-time advertising career. She savors chai tea lattes, rainy days, rooftop bars, and handwritten notes. She enjoys exploring the world internationally, as well as at home in Miami, Florida. She believes that everything happens for a reason, and she’s okay with not quite knowing what that is yet. See more of her on her blog, www.singlestrides.com.
In the U.S. March Madness is linked to NCAA Men’s basketball. Here, we’re going to do something a little different. Let’s focus more on the madness in that phrase.
Let’s take Spring Fever to its next level.
Your mission- Write a poem about someone living through a different kind of March madness. Focus on the person losing something in life, whether it’s a relationship, a tree, a fish, etc. Write it and make your words count. Remember every post linked up here has a possibility for publication in the 2016 Anthology.
Write fearlessly, invite your friends, and happy writing!
Part of what we do here at The Reverie Journal is to tell you about opportunities to share your work.
Of course, we certainly hope you’ll still consider submitting with us for our magazine or Write for Us submissions.
Today, let us introduce you to Asinine Poetry. “We specialize in poetry that doesn’t take itself too seriously.” In general, keep your poems to 50 lines or less and your prose to 5,000 words or less.
The Reverie 